Painted signs and mosaics

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

As ironmonger T. Taylor & Sons is still in business, this cannot be considered as a ghost sign but the slightly fading colours and the elegant typeface used for the firm's name give this painted sign a certain character.

Friday, 2 May 2014

I doubt this shop by the name of The Recorder of Edmonton broke any record as there is no trace of it on the web, neither by name nor address (325 Fore Street). The design of this ghost sign would suggest it was painted after the Second World War. By the late 1970s though, hi-fi equipment dealer Teleradio had moved into these premises.

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Following yesterday's post, here is another typical painted sign for one of Cuba's food outlets. If counter number 27 is open both mornings and afternoons, those wanting some milk and yogurt should arrive there early!

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

In a back street of the historic centre of Sancti Spiritus, the capital of the namesake province in central Cuba, this little painted sign marks the entrance to a small community market named after Mariana Grajales, an icon of women's struggle and of the fight against slavery and for the island's independence.

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Carrier company Carter Paterson was founded in 1860 by Walter Carter, John Paterson James Paterson, and Robert Paterson. It adopted the name Carter Paterson & Co on January 1, 1869 and in 1887, it became a limited company. Its head office was located at 128 Goswell Road, EC1. Like other leading carriers, Carter Paterson & Co worked closely with the railways. In October 1933 the Big Four railway companies (Southern Railway; Great Western Railway; London, Midland & Scottish Railway; and London & North Eastern Railway) took control in equal shares of Carter Paterson & Co Ltd. The company then operated as a subsidiary of another carrier the Big Four had bought at the same time, the Hay's Wharf Cartage Company Ltd. Following the nationalisation of railways in 1948, Carter Paterson was absorbed into British Road Services.

In the late 19th century Carter Paterson was the country's largest carrier, with more than 2,000 horses in its 20 London depots. One such depot was in Mandrell Road in Brixton. The company acquired the premises, which included stables and several buildings, in 1901. These were largely rebuilt and enlarged in 1904 to meet growing demand for the company's services in the area.

CP & CoBrixton Depot

The same text was painted twice. The original sign used a slightly larger typeface.

In 1948 the depot became the property of British Road Services but it seems BRS closed it a few years later. The property was then purchased by Danish brewing company Tuborg (see yesterday's ghost sign).

Some information about carriers in the late 19th century and their horses can be found in Chapter 3 of The Horse-World of London by W. J. Gordon, published in 1893 (the paragraphs about Carter Paterson are after the third illustration).

In 1983 a large mural, which appropriately includes horses, was painted by Jane Gifford, Ruth Blench, Mick Harrison and Caroline Thorpe. Sadly its future, and that of the Carter Paterson ghost sign, now seems uncertain as a developer has applied to build nine apartments on the site of the former depot.